Military reviews “slant” for embed program

Security concerns already hinder the media in Iraq, but now the military may be adding another restrictive layer. In FP‘s Seven Questions this week, Rod Nordland, Newsweek‘s former Baghdad bureau chief, says journalists in Iraq are subject to a review of their previous work and their “slant” prior to their participation in the U.S. military’s ...

Security concerns already hinder the media in Iraq, but now the military may be adding another restrictive layer. In FP's Seven Questions this week, Rod Nordland, Newsweek's former Baghdad bureau chief, says journalists in Iraq are subject to a review of their previous work and their "slant" prior to their participation in the U.S. military's embedded media program.

Security concerns already hinder the media in Iraq, but now the military may be adding another restrictive layer. In FP‘s Seven Questions this week, Rod Nordland, Newsweek‘s former Baghdad bureau chief, says journalists in Iraq are subject to a review of their previous work and their “slant” prior to their participation in the U.S. military’s embedded media program.

The military has started censoring many [embedded reporting] arrangements. Before a journalist is allowed to go on an embed now, [the military] check[s] the work you have done previously. They want to know your slant on a story — they use the word slant — what you intend to write, and what you have written from embed trips before. If they don’t like what you have done before, they refuse to take you. There are cases where individual reporters have been blacklisted because the military wasn’t happy with the work they had done on embed.

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.